Film and TV Editors Audrey Yeung and Livvie Wharmby headed to see one of Scotland’s newest documentaries co-directed by Edinburgh Alum
We had the pleasure of being invited to a screening at Central Scotland Documentary Festival in Stirling, to watch the beautiful documentary, Unbound, which centres around formerly abused ballet dancers founding their very own company and the journey of their production of The Nutcracker. But Unbound is not just a story of ballet… Unbound is a celebration of art and survival, weaving heartfelt narratives from its dancers with vibrant visuals. With tactful storytelling from its directors, the documentary style is skilfully used as a platform to mediate change. Infectious energy radiates from the screen, inspiring awe and advocating for change. The audience are taken along for a dazzling ride; a journey that teaches you about the importance of building community, shining a light on survivors and their bravery; a journey that steals your heart, takes your breath away, and leaves you stunned and completely in awe of the talents that brought you this story— which is every person who poured their heart and soul into the project. This isn’t Black Swan, this is real life.
Why should you care? Well, this was a story told by those close to home. Meet John English, a film director in Barcelona who comes from Inverness, co-founded OTOXO productions that brought the film to life, and is now bringing it home for a Scottish premiere. And, of course, Jenny Dinwoodie, “an Edinburgh student who graduated, got on her bike and cycled from Edinburgh to Barcelona to co-direct the award winning feature documentary”.
The film went through an especially unique process, involving a training programme with an entire group co-directing together, which allowed the film-makers to build meaningful relationships with one another. OTOXO productions, behind the film, ran their year-long inter-industry programme giving practical training in social documentary making— which is how Alumni Jenny Dinwoodie got involved. Jenny, freshly graduated from Edinburgh University, “always wanted to be a film-maker”, consistently attending and applying for volunteer roles at film festivals which helped develop her passions. Specifically, it was volunteering at the Sheffield DocFest Workshop which encouraged her to pursue the passion further, and led her to get involved in the programme; the practical, hands-on experience, the ultimate push out of the comfort zone, was just the right opportunity. While Jenny studied English Literature, she expresses a great appreciation for the unique power of film to have an impact, for there are so many ways to be drawn to a story that is able to be shaped and crafted as a creative art form, diving deeper into the experimental and audiovisual level of telling a story. Naturally, stepping into the documentary world of film-making was a perfect middle ground.
Here’s how it unfolds: The co-directors meet Chase, heard about his work, then go to Barcelona for the opportunity to watch ballet for 6-12 months. Reflecting on the story, Jenny recalls an incredible respect for ballerinas; the process is so physically and emotionally taxing, taking an extreme amount of skill and discipline. She remarks that it was truly a unique process for each individual— inspiring to have witnessed the ballerinas building their own company, creating their own space to be comfortable in, breaking and redefining the norms, and pushing back against the strict narrow conceptions of what ballet should look like.
Being able to craft the story in your own way, learning how film-making works best for you— she highly recommends the programme. Although she had never been to Spain or even learnt Spanish, she received help from the Edinburgh Council Learning Scheme to learn the language, and received funding from Erasmus to help with her training, showing no dream is too small. Jenny details that making the film and being a part of it was the step to seeing Film as a potential career: “You’ve just got to get out and do it. Get out there and make mistakes, start making things, start that journey!”. All that matters is that you are genuinely interested and want to learn.
Why cycle from Edinburgh to Barcelona? Well, it was simply a way to take time to experience outdoor adventures before starting the rewarding, prize-winning journey—Unbound.
Note: Unbound was the recipient of the Jury Award at the Central Scotland Documentary Festival this year, amongst 29 films. The award is a testament to the film’s brilliance (and all the more reason to watch it). A huge, heartfelt congratulations from The Student on the win!
Follow @unbound_ballerinas_documentary on Instagram to stay updated with how to see the film and witness the wonder for yourself.
Photograph taken by Livvie Wharmby and Audrey Yeung